Self-harming or self-injury is when a person deliberately hurts themselves often as a way to cope with other pain, usually emotional. Some teens who are suicidal also self-harm, but not every teen who self-harms is suicidal. When looking for signs of self-harming you can also learn and look for the signs of wanting to kill themselves and then look at youth suicide prevention options.

Why do teens do it?

In this country, between a quarter to a third of youths and young adults have hurt themselves at least once. It usually starts around the age of 15 and is a way they cope with different things including stress, school pressure, being bullied or upset, and so on. It gives them a sense of control. The average age at which people begin to self-injure is fifteen years old, and females and males have similar risk for self-injury. In the short-term they feel better. It is not a good way to deal with things in the long-term though and there are also risks. It is also considered to be a risk factor for teens who become suicidal. It can be one of the warning signs of suicide. In a small amount of people it is about seeking attention, but since most do it in places where it is not easy to see, it is not only about that.

Are they really trying to kill themselves?

It is important to understand that while helping with this can for some teens also be a part of youth suicide prevention, it is not them trying to kill themselves. Some teens who self-harm do say it is what they do to stop themselves from acting on suicidal thoughts. A lot who self-harm are not suicidal but are in a lot of pain.

Signs of self-injury you can watch for

The typical forms of self-injury are burning, cutting, scratching or punching. It can be hard to notice because they hide it, explain it away, and have no one looking for it. Some signs of self-injury you can look for include;

● Making statements about feeling worthless, having feelings of shame and self-loathing.

● Having bruises, cuts, burns or injuries on the thigh, stomach, arms, or hands that are not explained and that they try to keep hidden.

● Having to often dip into the first aid supplies and wearing a lot more bandages and such.

● Becoming very withdrawn and isolating themselves not wanting to be with friends or family.

● Not wanting to do things that need them to wear less clothing like swimming wear their injuries will be visible.

● Locating methods of self-injury like razors and knives.

● Keeping on long sleeved tops and wearing pants not shorts.

● Putting on items that hide injuries like bracelets with wide bands or multiple bracelets.

Conclusion

It is vital to check for the above signs if you are worried about your teen hurting themselves. You can also look for the warning signs of suicide at the same time to make sure you are ready to intervene if needed.

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youth suicide prevention